Calling Los Angeles-based car shoppers: Have you recently traded in (or plan to trade in) a car with negative equity (i.e. the amount you owe on your auto loan is greater than the car's value)? A reporter would like to speak with you; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 11/6 for details.

Lexus IS Squeaks and Rattles

patpat Member Posts: 10,421
edited August 2014 in Lexus
Talk about your squeaks and rattles here.
«1

Comments

  • sowkusowku Member Posts: 18
    when i drive on bumpy fw in socal. it's so weird.
  • white_trashwhite_trash Member Posts: 11
    I live in S.Calif too and am thinking of getting and IS250 - is that the only problem
    so far ? Would you recommend one ? Did you get a good deal, and if so, which
    dealer ? Hope your squeeks go away or else just blast your radio :)
  • daman121daman121 Member Posts: 11
    I've had my IS 250 for about half a month now. No problems other than stares from people. :D

    I would go see Pete Johnson at Beverly Hills Lexus. I got the best price there and the service is worth the trip. (Live in the OC)
  • ricksterqricksterq Member Posts: 45
    I'm going on a month with my IS250 AWD and here's what I've noticed...

    1. There's an intermittent squeek from the passenger's side dash when driving on bumpy roads. I'll have this looked at when I take it in for the first servicing. It doesn't happen all the time, so that'll be a good test for the Lexus customer service reputation.

    2. The suspension is stiff. That's not necessarily a problem, but don't expect a supple, soft ride. It kind of reminds me of my old Plymouth Laser turbo.

    3. The brakes are touchy. A feather touch will make them grab. Normal pressure might lead to very quick and sudden stop. Eventually, your foot adjusts.

    4. I drive a lot in the sport mode with the manual shifter. Sometimes when up-shifting while accelerating hard, there's a lag in the time from when I upshift to the time the transmission actually shifts. So, it's like, accelerate HARD (think flooring it), upshift at around 3.5K RPMs, 4K RPMs, no actual shift, 4.5K RPMs, it finally shifts. Under normal driving conditions, the shifter works great.

    I can live with all this stuff with the exception of the squeek. That needs to get taken care of. There are so many other things that are right with the car that I am more than happy to live with the stiff suspension, brakes and manual shifting issue.
  • pbuenafamapbuenafama Member Posts: 2
    I think I have the same problem, and I think I know what it is. Take a look to the plastic cover under the rear mirror. There is a little screw that might not be totally tight and makes the cap lose and hense sound when driving over street bumps. I will take a look this weekend, in the mean time I will try a tape to see if this is the problem. Let us know....

    I have a manual IS 250 and I took it to the service because it s hard to shift fast, I have to wait a litle time until the crancks are alignes to compeltely shift the gear. It seems like the clutch is not doing the entire job. So if you want to speed up real quick and shif fast to pass will take some training..... any clues?
  • sowkusowku Member Posts: 18
    it was so annoying.. but now it looks ugly. man... it's annoying sound.. this is a design flaw.. i hope lexus is doing something about it...
  • red_isred_is Member Posts: 2
    My IS250 has the squeaky dash too, plus a rattling sun visor, and a rattle coming from the post between the doors on the driver's side. I brought it to a dealer and they couldn't isolate the sound - so I'm living with it and souring on the car. My sales rep says that if these cars have a common problem Lexus will figure it out and issue a fix. We'll see, but they may have lost my future business by then. The IS250 loaner I was given had the squeaky dash. There are too many nice cars in the IS price range to put up with this stuff.
  • benzoservceguybenzoservceguy Member Posts: 60
    1) Your sales rep knows NOTHING about the servicing of your car
    2) the rattle on the "post" between the front & rear doors is probably the adjustible seat belt. Try raising or lowering the anchor to see if this helps.
    3) Squeaky sunvisor. Where is it coming from? When the sunvisor is in front of you or when turned to the side?
    If it only happens when in front of you, then it might be plastic on plastic (where the sunvisor "clips" into the base/anchor. Try a little surf board wax or candle wax and rub it lightly on the clip or "button" (where the visor clips into the base/anchor)
    4) Why not stop obsessing over silly little things like squeaks & rattles. Cars are built by people. They are not built to exact tollerances and they WILL develop noises. NO CAR IS PERFECT. ALL CARS WILL SQUEAK AND/OR RATTLE. Unfortunately, it's a FACT!
    5) If all else fails ... TURN UP THE RADIO. The squeaks & rattles will then vanish.

    GOOD LUCK
  • netwonnetwon Member Posts: 53
    Truer words cannot be spoken. Despite the fact we are talking about a 35k automobile, we are not talking about Maybach, or another 300+K auto. IS 350 is my second Lexus, and perhaps the problem is Lexus makes the cars too quiet for their own good. Tune down engine/exhaust noise & every little sound comes through with clarity the ML sterio can't produce.

    My .02 cents
  • maxidrivemaxidrive Member Posts: 70
    There's another way... Start the car and just sit inside in Park position. ;)

    No really, I don't understand these complaints 'coz I never hear any squeaking or rattling inside my IS 350! :)
  • red_isred_is Member Posts: 2
    I must have wandered into the wrong forum. I thought it was the Problems & Solutions forum, not the "I Love Lexus and Can Hear No Wrong" forum. Four owners have noted a dashboard squeak in this forum; the complaint appears numerous times in the lexusownersclub.com forums and it also appears on www.is350forums.com. We're looking for solutions, and benzoservceguy offered some but you're just dripping sarcasm. The ES GS and RX models have had similar problems - 4 technical service bulletins on the ES for dashboard and door panel rattles, and numerous dashboard replacements on the RX noted by owners in the referenced forums.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    You're not in the wrong forum anymore. ;) I've pulled the squeaks and rattles issues out into a separate discussion here.

    Some might not have these problems, and that's great. But some clearly do, so now we have a place to explore them.

    And let's politely ask those who are NOT having these issues to be glad they aren't. And let's also ask them to please not bother to tell the people who are having the problems that they really are not.

    Thanks muchly!! :)
  • cklho818cklho818 Member Posts: 29
    I experienced the same squeaks noise coming from the dash. I just got mine over the weekend! I am taking it in to have them check it when my license plate gets here.
  • sowkusowku Member Posts: 18
    dont' tell us to ignore the problems, if you don't report it, they will ignore it. and you're the one w/ the problems.

    and yes... something come up for me. my brake now makes squeaking noise when i brake...

    this is bad... bad.... terrible...
    i feel like i'm really driving a old old car, and just have a stylist body for show. everything about this car sucks...

    instead of ppl checking my car, now they look because how horrible it sounds...
  • carhunter3carhunter3 Member Posts: 11
    I had a loud squeal in my brakes one day (I've owned my IS for almost 7 months). It happened as I was turning into a parking space (sounded like metal on metal). I quickly took it to Lexus and they couldn't really find anything but they tightened the caliper bolts and strut bolts that were a bit "loose" and torqued down the brakes and suspension nuts and bolts (I'm just reading what my receipt shows as the solution) and I've never heard the sound since. And that was about 6 months ago. Maybe this will help you sowku.
  • is3fiftyis3fifty Member Posts: 1
    I often drive with the windows down so I don't know when this started but at approx. 6,000 miles I noticed 2 squeaks in my 350. The first one is under the dash, left of the steering column and happens mostly when going over speed bumps. It sounds as if something is flexing. The sound happens when the front wheels start climbing the speed bump (suspension compression) and when, on the other side of the bump, the wheels connect again with the pavement (suspension compression again). All this happens at slow speed.

    The other squeak is in the moon roof, with the roof closed. When the screen is pulled back it is very loud and annoying. The squeaks come from all around the glass roof and happen on uneven pavement and during cornering. It feels like the chassis is not rigid enough and is flexing, which my interpretation is the moonroof frame twisting.

    I haven't been to the dealership yet and wanted to see if anybody has had similar experience.
  • dkaplan435dkaplan435 Member Posts: 23
    There was a TSS on squeaking: NV001-06 FRONT SEAT SQUEAK NOISE. Maybe their will be one on this as well. Lexus seems to be pretty good about resolving issues.
  • billdanzbilldanz Member Posts: 2
    First, I purchased my IS250 November of 05. I have been experiencing the squeaking noise from the dash too. Not so much in the Summer but it was driving me crazy in the winter (I live in Chicago). I had my Lexus in the shop approximately 5 times between Nov and March. The problem has never been resolved. I anticipate having the same problems as the cold weather approaches. Regarding the brakes. I too had squeakey brakes around 6000 miles. Lexus replaced the front pads and rotors. This is something that will never be recalled but if you complain about it, they should replace the front brakes. Just don't wait until you have 15000 miles. Has anyone out there had the squeaking from the dash fixed? If so, how was it resolved? It drives me nuts! And regarding people who say that we did not purchase a Maybach, that is complete nonsense! We all still paid a lot of money for this car, my 98 Honda Accord with 120000 miles does not make any noises at all. I think it is a joke that Lexus has not figured a way to fix my particular problem after being in there 5 times.
  • sowkusowku Member Posts: 18
    totally. and they dared to say that it's normal. i called them 3 times, went there, and they looked at it, and said it's normal. WTF!!! they better fix my brake. I'm pissed off. my brake still has the squeaking sound when i brake. i guess my upgrade to a GS in the future is not gonna come true. Lexus sucks. quality goes down, the cost of the car goes up.... hurrrrraaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!!! yaaeee to the stupid consumer... they believe us... it's normal and they give us the money... that's what going through lexus CEO & managers... they don't care... they got the big pay checks...
  • maxidrivemaxidrive Member Posts: 70
    Very sorry to hear that, guys! I picked up my IS 350 on March 4th and haven't experienced any of these problems. Have you brought your cars to different dealerships?
  • billdanzbilldanz Member Posts: 2
    Yes I have, I have been to two different dealerships. I have taken it to the dealership that I purchased my Lexus at twice and another Lexus dealership in Chicago three times. Both have not resolved the squeaking noise.
  • sowkusowku Member Posts: 18
    call lexus and complain.. i hope many ppl would complain about this problem.. which is becoming a 'normal' issue to them, to count as something not needed to fix. i hope the fix it before something happen to you.. like it fails, and when the check it and it looks 'ok'.

    if i have to live w/ the noise, i'm gonna complain til they fix it.
  • djwtarheeldjwtarheel Member Posts: 14
    is3fifty...I too had the squeak coming from my sunroof...it was coming from the back of the sunroof where the rubber meets the metal. My dealer here in Atlanta put some type of rubber lubricant on the rubber and the sound is absolutely gone. This was back in April (got the car in late Feb.). No problems since. I often wonder if they did more than they are telling me since it seems the lubricant would've worn off by now...
  • louisweilouiswei Member Posts: 3,715
    Is the Atlanta dealer Nalley or Hannesey? I bought my IS350 from Nalley Roswell.
  • wes_888wes_888 Member Posts: 38
    Are most IS having squeeky break problems?

    Im debating between the IS and the G35. I certainly wouldnt wanna spend 40k for car that has squeeky breaks... :confuse:
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    mine does. quite annoying. asked lexus about it - thats just the way it is. they were no help.
  • wes_888wes_888 Member Posts: 38
    when did you buy your IS? and how loud is the sound? Is it loud enough to the point that pedestrians can hear it?
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    late August 06. 5500 miles on it now. came in on that dealers last boat from japan so it was made late in the model year.

    seems to be worse when it is very cold. i havent heard it the last couple of weeks (been warming up in the northeast).

    i can hear it inside the car with the windows shut, i would assume you can hear it outside.

    it is also not consistent. when i went in for 5k service i complained and they were silent (of course).

    it does squak only a small percentage of the time, so its not unbearable.
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    have an odd rattle on the passenger side, cant really place it almost like a vibration. anyone have a similar issue?

    additionally - remiving mats to clean today and noticed that the entire plastic "cover" under the steering wheel area is totally lose. have eard some noises from doen there. is this whole thing being loose normal? i couldnt see where it clipped anywhere. seems like a poor design
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    have an odd rattle on the passenger side, cant really place it almost like a vibration. anyone have a similar issue?

    additionally - removing mats to clean today and noticed that the entire plastic "cover" under the steering wheel area is totally lose. have heard some noises from down there. is this whole thing being loose normal? i couldn't see where it clipped anywhere. seems like a poor design
  • ar39ar39 Member Posts: 61
    I had a similar vibration coming from the passenger side of the dash board on top of the glove box. It turned out to be a vibrating windscreen. The padding between the dash & the windscreen was out of place. This allowed the dash rub against the windscreen causing the windscreen to vibrate. The dealer fixed the padding & the vibration is no more.

    Hope this helps.
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    helps a lot, thanks! now i can point them in the right direction. where is the windscreen? do you know what was taken apart to get to it?
  • ar39ar39 Member Posts: 61
    Sorry for that, I meant windshield! The dealers will know how to fix that if indeed the windshield is vibrating in your case. The dash screws will be loosened & the padding between the glass & dash will be pulled back to it's right place.
  • cklho818cklho818 Member Posts: 29
    This time around, I got a rattling noise (somewhat close to a buzzing noise) coming from the driver side air duct where the AC is blowing. Whenever I had 72 degrees or below on the climate control, the rattling noise will come on or driving when it's a windy cold day in the Bay Area. If I close the air duct, the noise will reduce. This took me a while to ID it. It's on and off but when it does, it's quite annoying!

    Any solutions to this, anybody experiencing the same thing?

    The overhead dash noise is gone now btw after a little more than a year of ownership to this otherwise fine luxury vehicle.

    Thanks.
  • tfz_hebe89tfz_hebe89 Member Posts: 4
    I also experienced the same rattling noise that many owners pointed out here. For me, it was on and off, so sometimes it rattles and sometimes it's just fine. From what I experience, the rattling sound occurs when the weather is cold, but when it;s warm it does not occur. And the sound comes from somewhere in the dash, around the speaker area in the dash. Seems some nuts or bolts are loose there, thus, causing the sound.

    It just annoys me sometimes and what I did is wack it with my hand sometimes.
    Also, the sunvisor in the driver side rattles sometimes, but now it's gone.
    I only have 2400 miles in my car FYI.

    Haven't taken to the dealer for this though. Have anyone brought it to the dealership and have it SOLVED, not just looked at?

    Thanks
  • tricky213tricky213 Member Posts: 2
    I also had the same rattle problem in the center of the dash. I took the car to the dealer and after an all day visit they told me they could not find any rattle. I insisted that the tech. and I go for a ride and the rattle was still there. The next day they told me they pulled the dash and insulated all the metal parts that touch as well as the duct work. This fixed the rattle. At least I had a dealer that was willing to fix the problem. Remember, you did not pay $40,000 for a rattle trap.
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    there's a tsib out for that.
    when i took mine in and described the situation they knew the drill and knew they had to person the tsib immediately.
    i guess it all depends on how good the dealer is
  • is250drvris250drvr Member Posts: 1
    I've been driving a 1998 Acura CL and decided to get myself into a new car in 2005. After much thought over getting an BMW 328, BMW 520i, Acura TL, Acura TSX, MBZ E320, Cadillac CTS, and Cadillac STS, I finally decided to get myself into a Cadillac CTS-V. This car was cwazy, performance was great, ride was supurb, and handling was class-A. The reason(s) for not getting the other cars that were amongst my choices range from appearance, size, too many on the street, value, performace, and bang-for-the-buck. Although the CTS-V did cost me somewhere in the $50-$60k range, I thought it included most of overall characteristics of what I looked for in an automobile. However, I have noticed an overall fact about not only automobiles, but for life in general, and that is "You
    Get What You Pay For!" Yes, over time I noticed some flaws, but I also have a friend that has a 2007 M5 that has a rear window with a mind of its own (the window just opens for no reason) and after numerous visits to service, all he got was $2k back, I also have a neighbor that has a 05' Ferrari F430 that needs suspension maintnance or replacing of parts every year because of the harsh driving conditions in and around the Los Angeles area. So now, in 2008, I've got myself into an IS250, and so far so good! ;)
  • northlanenorthlane Member Posts: 1
    i took my 06 is 250 for a dash board rattle on the passenger side on 1-31-08 they took apart the dash retorque the bolts and re insulated the gaps they had the car all day problem is gone
  • krbtvkrbtv Member Posts: 3
    When asbestos was used in brakes there were no squeaks. Now because of cancer scares, asbestos has been removed from the breaks causing a squeaking sound. Your dealer should be able to polish the brakes for a temporary fix.
  • yoosayoosa Member Posts: 6
    We have an IS250 2007. The dashboard and front air vents rattled since we received the car. We have brought it to the dealer 4 times. Finally, the dealer kept the car for 3 WEEKS. We didn't care that much because they gave us a loaner lexus. Finally, the squeeks and rattles seem to be GONE. My advice would be to keep after them, because, as another poster said, you don't need to own a rattletrap! We are in Southern California.
  • cklho818cklho818 Member Posts: 29
    I noticed the rattles and squeaks 3 days ago. Took my car in to the dealer on the next day, this past Monday. They fixed it over night and the noise is gone after they've put in extra insulation. Great service from Lexus of Pleasanton. However, seems like they've put some scratches around the dashboard area when they took out the parts and the air vent on the passenger cannot open all the way. A plastic cover underneath the glove compartment is not fasten entirely. I am taking it back this weekend to have them check that out and fix them accordingly. Heard they might be able to touch up on scratches inside the car so we'll see.
  • gordongjgordongj Member Posts: 23
    When ihit the 12,000 miles mark on the odometer, I started experiencing squeeks & rattles, mainly in the centre vent and navi screen area, but also the dash area in front of the passenger. I can put up with the passenger side squeeks, but the ones in the center vent area is driving me crazy. I certainly did not expect this of a Lexus. Never experienced this with the 5 Honda Accords I had prior to purchasing the Lexus. Certainly looking like this is my first and last Lexus. I have a service appointment next week and I will bring this matter to their attention, however I certainly am not expecting any resolution. :(
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    I had good luck with having rattles fixed. all 4 times i have had the vehicle in for normal maintenance i have reported, and they have fixed, one or more. there are some TSB's covering some known problems, if you can have a tech ride with you and point out what you hear and make sure they hear it to you will probably have better luck.

    i was also surprised at how many squeaks and rattles from a lexus. i am more than a little disappointed.
  • sowkusowku Member Posts: 18
    Longo lexus got my car for 2 weeks and they couldn't determine how to fix it, and they replaced the parts, and it came back again. it's a horrible issue, but they don't know how to fix it. IS sux. i would never buy a lexus again. :lemon:
  • gordongjgordongj Member Posts: 23
    Well, I have to say that the rattles in the dash were getting so bad, I was considering getting rid of the IS. However, I took it to the Lexus delaership and low and behold, they got the rattles out! Rattles were in/ around the centre dash speaker. I a mnow liking this car all over again.
  • tylerb2tylerb2 Member Posts: 3
    Do you have any documentation regarding the TSB? The nearby dealer seems not to know, or acknowledge these until Lexus has a mandatory mailing.
  • gordongjgordongj Member Posts: 23
    I don't have a TSB on the rattle. The rattle on my IS was the speaker on the centre of the dash. They put in more insuulatino and that fixed it. I just took it in for service and they eliminated the rattke under warranty. However there is an Open Campaign # 9LA which relate to the fuel delivery pipes. My car is going in tomorrow to have this done.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    L-SB-0044-08

    July 30, 2008

    Instrument Panel Rattle
    Service Category
    Vehicle Interior

    Section
    Interior Panels/Trim

    Market
    USA

    This relates to 2006-2007 cars only, with VIN #s preceding the following

    JTHBE262782013115

    OR

    JTHBE 262785017387
  • tylerb2tylerb2 Member Posts: 3
    That would be mine. Thanks very much for the information. It seems you need to almost recite the problem to the dealer word-for-word as written in the service bulletin, but without mentioning the bulletin itself, to activate a fix.

    TB2
This discussion has been closed.